Gen 4 Amateur radio installation

Welcome!

Your link is broken. They actually have a Generation 1 Plugin which is based on the Generation 3 HSD so both forums could be useful.

Gen 1 Plugin:
Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015 | PriusChat

Gen 3 Prius
Gen 3 (2010-2015) Toyota Prius Forums | PriusChat

 

Thanks for the correction @Prodigyplace

 

My pleasure.
The browser on my iPad must be broken too. As I was getting the links, it ate my first posting attempt.

 

Its a 2017 Prius Plug In

 

Your 2017 Prius PHV is called the Prius Prime here in the US and on this forum. It is very similar to the Gen 4 Prius though.

The main forum page for the Plugin forums is here but the Gen 1 section will not likely apply to your vehicle.

Toyota Prius Plug-In Forums | PriusChat

 

Ok, take a flashlight and put the car up on ramps so you can crawl underneath to look. Inspect the firewall looking for rubber cable feedthroughs. Often you will find one with a big cable going through and a small "nipple" unused. If you can get at it from the inside you can use an awl to pierce that nipple and use it for your two power wires (yes, two - DO NOT rely on the chassis for ground!). Radios like two big stranded wires for power coming from the battery - inline fuse at the battery. They don't like chassis ground. You will probably have to use grease on the cable when you push/pull it through the grommet/feedthrough.

 

Thanks David. I'll have to buy some Ramps. I never do rely on chassis ground and I have the in line fuses ready to go as they were the ones removed from my Old Toyota Auris.
Kevin
G8GOS

 

Make your own ramps using lumber. They work better and more importantly, they don't hit the front plastic. Make them at least 4 ft long. Oh, and they are easier to store.

 

Nutserts use screws. They are a "poprivit" that is a nut. Like the nuts you find welded in place. You then use a screw to fasten whatever you installed it for. You do need access to the other side of the panel of course, but you can access it in this case, but it's rather tight.

I used sheet metal screws (stainless) and it was very tight. The back glass on the G3 comes very close to them, so I filed the heads a little flatter. I have too good an imagination, seeing the back glass turn into tiny pieces in my mind. It's been 10 years now and no problems in either car.

 

@David Beale I liked the idea of making some ramps but when I looked at the cost of the wood it was way more than the cost of buying some metal ramps. I guess that could be different in Canada where wood is more abundant versus here where it isn't. I can get a trolly jack and a couple of axel stands and a creeper trolly for slightly less than the cost of the wood. Halfords 5 Piece Lifting Kit

 

Be cautious with your choice of ramps. My son bought a set but they will not work with my Prius because the incline is too steep and host the front bumper. When I did my first oil change I ended up having the car straddle (a dry) drainage ditch to get access under the car.

 

Yes, most "ramps" you can buy are not suitable for modern cars. They are too steep, in that the front plastic will hit the ramp before the wheel lifts it.

Perhaps you can find used wood if new is too expensive. Around here we have stores that sell stuff from wrecked houses.

 

Nutserts do not require access to the other side of the panel. They are blind fasteners, just like a pop rivet.

 

Don’t know what you are seeing, but there are screws holding the L brackets.

 

Nope. It has an SMA connector on the end, so it wasn't necessary. Also, I didn't have to drill any holes for coax. I ran the skinny coax in behind the tail light and was able to fish it from the inside.

 

I'm back on the Air. Thanks for everyone's help here. I decided not to buy or make ramps. I took the Prius to my local garage and asked them to put it on their ramp and push the wire through from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment. That was cheaper and faster than buying a set of ramps which would not have worked because of the slope or making some out of wood which would have been expensive. I'll take some photos and post them here when I can.

Kevin
G8GOS

 

We have a "no handheld use of cellphones" law here in Alberta. Amateurs are exempt when using the amateur radio. I don't use mine when driving, other than APRS, because I find it IS distracting.

Anything like that over there?

 

Yes the law here is similar. Personally I don't find it distracting but I don't tend to change channel very often. I only use a couple of local repeaters or simplex chennels. Everyone else I speak to while mobile is used to mobile and understands when you have to pause to concentrate on traffic. It is more listening than fiddling with knobs with a single locking switch to operate the PTT. I don't use a fist mic as that would be awkward.